Panda Game Aftermath: We are a Neighbourhood Not Animal House!

(Ottawa, 11 October, 2018) Action Sandy Hill/Action Côte-de-Sable (ASH/ACS) is calling on the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Police Service to publicly state their positions on the annual massive and unauthorized street parties occurring in Sandy Hill — most notably before the Panda Game, on St. Patrick’s Day, and on Canada Day.

“We feel frustrated and disappointed ”, says Susan Young, President of ASH. “We worked for months with the University of Ottawa, the City, and the Police Service to ensure that this year no part of our neighbourhood would be taken over by these disruptive and destructive parties.”

“We knew there was a massive party being planned for Russell Avenue on game day. Just days before the game we had a conference call with the City, the Police, and the University to discuss the invitation that had been posted on Facebook. Police wouldn’t tell us what their strategy for enforcement would be, but did say there would be ‘zero tolerance’.”

While police were out in force, so too were partiers. According to one journalistic account, “Des centaines d’étudiants ont pris d’assaut les rues du quartier Côte-de-Sable.”[1] So many partiers flooded into Sandy Hill that Russell Avenue was closed to traffic between Somerset and Templeton. Another journalist on the scene wrote, “… cars cannot get in and out past all the students, and it (is) with some degree of futility that Ottawa police attempt the quixotic task of keeping everyone off the road, and pouring out open containers. This functions like a game of whack-a-mole, except police always lose; for every beer, cooler, or wine bottle emptied onto the road, three or four more are consumed with absolute impunity.”[2] The same article quotes one resident who was in his driveway trying to keep partygoers from, “… peeing in our backyard, stomping all over our flower beds.”

ASH President Susan Young says people living in Sandy Hill are tired of having their lives disrupted and their property damaged.

“This is a neighbourhood where a lot of different kinds of people live, including young families, professionals, and people who are retired. It seems though that the City and the Police view Sandy Hill as a student neighbourhood where property crimes, noise violations, and alcohol abuse are not just tolerated but should be expected. By letting these parties take place year after year, the City and the Police are sending a message that this is normal. We’re saying it’s not normal, and it’s not acceptable.”

ASH is asking Mayor Jim Watson and Chief of Police Charles Bordeleau to clearly and publicly respond to the following question: what are they going to do to prevent future illegal street parties, enforce existing laws, and ensure taxpayers in Ottawa don’t have to bear the costs of these events?